Lock and the like



Sept. 28, 1937.

- G. s. HODGKINSON ET AL LOCK AND THE LIKE.

Filed Nov 8, 1935 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 67 J 1/ 45 Mnsm K /Qi i m B:% J M Sept. 28, 1937. G. s. HODGKINSON El AL 2,094,155

LOCK AND THE LIKE Filed NOV. 8, 1935 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 [7/7. III.

Patented Sept. 28, 1937 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE LOCK AND THE LIKE Application November 8, 1935, Serial No. 48,904 In New Zealand April 15, 1935 1 Claim.

This invention relates to locking devices by which a number of units may be locked or retained closed. I

The invention is particularly useful when a number of drawers, doors or flaps, such as occur in sideboards or the like, filing cabinets, roll top desks, casement sashes where there are more than one in a frame, folding or sliding doors or partitions, or the like.

The object of the present invention is to enable this to be accomplished by means of a simple form of spring-operated locking pin device which can be easily and economically fitted.

According to the present invention, the lock- ]5 ing pin device consists of a cylinder closed at one end but having a hole therethrough in which is guided one end of the locking pin, and having a closure in the other end of the cylinder containing a hole through which the other end of the locking pin passes. This pin has a shoulder against which bears a coil spring surrounding the pin and in compression against an end of the cylinder. One end, therefore, under influence of the spring normally tends to be retracted into the cylinder and, therefore, out of engagement with the unit that it would be employed to retain in a particular position. The other end of the pin is adapted to be actuated by any suitable means to push the locking end from the cylinder and retain it in position. A number of these retaining or looking parts may be controlled from a single member which in turn is retained by a lock or the like, or each lock member may be separately operated by means of a striking plate on a movable part.

The invention will be described and its use exemplified with the aid of the accompanying drawings, wherein:-

Figure 1 shows: a cabinet with a number of drawers and a slide.

Figure 2 is an end elevation of the cabinet.

Figure 3 is a cross section along line 3-3 Figure 2, but drawn to a larger scale than the two preceding views.

Figure 4 is a cross sectional plan on line 4-4 Figure 3.

Figure 5 is a cross section along line 5-5 Figure 1, but drawn to a larger scale.

Figure 6 is a sectional elevation of the locking member.

Figure 7 is a similar view.

Figure 8 is an elevation.

Figure 9 is a cross sectional view of the cylinder of the locking pin device but drawn to a larger scale than Figures 6 to 8.

Figure 10 is a sectional elevation showing an alternate form of operating the pins.

Figure 11 is a cross section through the tion of two drawers.

Figure 12 is a plan on line l2I2 Figure 11.

Figure 13 is a sectional elevation on a larger scale of the locking unit shown in Figure 11.

' Figure 14 is a plan and Figure 15 is a section showing the device applied to the locking of sliding doors.

Referring to the drawings, and first to Figures 6 to 9, the locking pin device consists of a cylinder l with an external circumferential shoulder 2 and a closed end wall 3 which, however, has a central hole 4 to receive and guide the end 5 of a looking pin 5. A disc 6 having a hole 1 is placed within a recessed part in the top end of the cylinder and forms a closure and a guide for the other end 8 of the pin. This end is retained in position by curling in the top edge of the cylinder. The locking pin has a shoulder l8 against which bears a coil spring I l surrounding the end 8 of the pin and is in compression between the shoulder and the closure disc 6. The spring, therefore, normally retains the locking pin in the position shown in Figures 6 and '7 with its locking end 8 retracted into the cylinder sothat it will not pro trude beyond the outer face of the disc, the other end 5 of the pin being projected out of such cylinder. This end 5 is adapted to be depressed or actuated to push the other end outwards against the pressure of the spring and engage into an opening or recess in the part to be retained in a closed or locked position. I

Figure 1 shows an example of a cabinet containing a number of drawers which may be locked by the aid of this device.

It will be seen, by referring to Figure 3 that the drawers l2 and I3 slide into a casing l4, and on one side of such drawers a partition I5 is provided, while an outer end wall I6 is separated from the partition l5 by a space H. The cylinders I are set into the partition I5 so that the ends 8 of the pins may project into holes l8 provided in the sides of the drawers. The ends 5 of the pins are threaded and attached to a rod or bar IS, the spring I normally throwing the bar outwards and the end 8 of the pins out of engagement with the holes in the side of the drawers. A push pin 2| is carried in a socket 22 fixed in the end wall I6, while a lock 23 of any usual type is also fitted on the inner side of the wall l6. By depressing the pin 2| the bar I9 is pushed inwards against the pressure of the springs in the cylinders and the ends 8 of the pins engage the juncholes in the side of the drawers. By then turning the key in the look its bolt 24 will engage behind the bar I9, as shown in Figure 4, and prevent the bar returning. The drawers [2 and [3 are thereby locked in a closed position and cannot be opened until the key of the lock 23 is again turned.

It will be seen, therefore, that by the aid of one look such as 23 any number of drawers,

shelves of a filing cabinet or the like arranged vertically one above the other may be locked at the one operation.

Another application of the locking pin device is also shown in Figures 1, 2 and 5.

By referring to Figure 5, it will be seen that a cylinder is set in a horizontal dividing wall 25 separating the drawers 26 and 21, and another cylinder set in the partition 28 above the drawer 21, while a slide 28 is placed between the parti- 1 doors.

tion 28 and the top 29 of the cabinet. The pin of the cylinder in the wall 25 is depressed into a hole in the front of the drawer 26 by means of a striking plate 30 on the underside of the drawer 21, so that upon the drawer 25 being closed and then the drawer 21, the striking plate 30 will project the pin downwards and so retain the drawer 26 in a closed position. The drawer 21 is similarly locked by reason of another striking plate 3| on the underside of the slide 28 This slide may be similarly locked by a cylinder and pin indicated at 32 in Figure 1, the pin of which is projected upwards by a striking plate on the door 33 which may be locked by a looking key 34 in the usual way.

This method, by means of the striking plate, could also continue to the drawers I2 and I3, and it will be obvious, of course, that it will apply to any number of drawers or combination of drawers and slides.

Referring to Figure 10, instead of the rod l9 being shown attached to the ends 5 of the locking pins as in Figure 3, a rod 35 is employed and has striking members 36 secured thereon and formed with bevel faces 35 This rod is carried in guide brackets 3! and is normally retained upwards by a coil spring 38 so that the members will be disengaged from the locking pins. The top end of the rod is pushed downwardly by the lid 35 which may be hinged in the ordinary way.

In Figure 11, which is a section corresponding to Figure 5, but on a larger scale, an additional member 41 is inserted in the underside of the drawer 21. This is done in order that when the upper drawer 21 is closed and the lower drawer 26 open, it may also be closed. In the bottom of the drawer 21 is inserted an auxiliary cylin der 4D in which slides a stud 4!, the reduced end 42 of which fits an opening 43 in the end of the cylinder. A coil spring 44, of greater strength than the coil spring II, is in compression between the stud M and the end cover 45, and normally retains the stud in an outward position, and the end 42 level with the end of the cylin der. A striking plate 45 in the bottom drawer 26 is adapted to strike the end 8 of the locking pin in the cylinder I set in the dividing wall 25 and raise the end 5. This end 5 will coincide with the stud 4!, which will be forced upwards into its cylinder against the pressure of a coil spring 44, thus allowing the end 5 of the locking pin also to enter the cylinder 45. As the drawer 26 reaches its fully closedposition, a hole 41 (see Figure 12) will register with the end 8 of the locking pin which will now be forced down into the hole by the pressure of the coil spring 44, because this spring is of much greater strength than the coil spring I I, thus again locking the bottom drawer. The locking plate 30 will operate as before described to push the pin into the hole 41 when the drawer 21 is closed, while the drawer 26 is closed.

In Figures 14 and 15, is shown a method of applying the locking device to a pair of sliding In this case, the locking unit which includes the cylinder 1, is housed in a stud-like portion 48 or. a bracket 49, in which a lever 50 is pivoted. The end of the lever has a striking pin 51 which is free to pass through a hole 52 in the bracket. The bracket 49 is fixed in the frame of the door-way, and when both doors are open the spring H in the cylinder I will retain the lever in the position shown in the dotted lines in Figure 15. The door 54 is closed first to the position shown, and upon the door 55 being i closed a striking plate 56 on the door'55 will strike the pin 5! and cause the lever to push down the locking pin into a hole 51 in the door 54.

What we claim is:-

In a case of drawers, a plurality of locking devices each consisting of a cylinder, an integral end to said cylinder having a central opening therethrough, a circumferential rim around the upper end of the cylinder of slightly greater diameter than the cylinden'a pin within the cylinder, one end of said pin projecting and guided through the opening of the integral cylinder end and forming an actuating end, a closure forming the other end of said cylinder, said closure having a central opening and retained in position by curling in the top of the cylinder, the other end of said pin projecting through and guided in the opening in the closure and forming a locking end, a shoulder on said pin fitting the interior of the cylinder, a coil spring around the pin in compression between said shoulder and said closure to normally retain the locking end of said pin in a retracted position and flush with the end of the cylinder, a rod mounted in said case, cams mounted on saidrod, one adjacent each of said locking devices and adapted on longitudinal movement of the rod to actuate said pins, means for moving said rod, to actuate a plurality of said actuating ends against the tension of their springs, and means to retain said rod in a position at which the locking ends are extended in operative position.

GEORGE SAXTON I-IODGKINSON.

CYRIL VINCENT SHIVNAN. 

